Week 6 and Onwards

Europe: Unification and Fragmentation

  • Physical geography

    • Physiographic Regions and Climate

  • Human geography

    • Demography, Religion, Language, Economy

  • European Union

    • Evolution and Challanges to Integration

  • Geopolitical Fragmentation

    • E.G. Northern Ireland, Basque Region, the Balkans, Catalonia and etc.

  • Population Geography - geopolitical unification, fragmentation, and sovereignty.

  • Political Geography - geopolitical unification, fragmentation, and sovereignty.

  • Economic Geography - Core vs. Periphery.

Physical Regions

  1. Northwest Highlands: Norway, Scotland, and the northern regions of Ireland, characterized by rugged terrain, a strong cultural heritage, and significant natural resources.

    1. Timber, sheep and fish (NORTH SEA!) (over-fished ;c)

  2. European Plains (Breadbasket of Europe): Characterized by fertile plain lands.

    1. Expands from northern Poland into Russia and down to Ukraine.

  3. Central Uplands: Woody areas that serve as a transition between the European Plains and the Alpine region, noted for their rolling hills and diverse ecosystems.

    1. Middle continental Europe.

  4. Highland Regions: Mountains that are characterized by their rugged terrain, cooler temperatures, and unique flora and fauna distinct from the surrounding lowlands.

    1. Pyrenes Mountains: Separates Iberia from France. Exhibit rocky mountain ranges. Very steep mountains, mountains were holed through or roads paved over top.

      1. Help stop Muslim Invasions into Iberia.

    2. Alpines: Mountain ranges primarily found in Europe, known for their high peaks, glacial valleys, and diverse ecosystems that support a variety of wildlife, they also play a crucial role in water cycle regulation and are a popular destination for outdoor activities.

    3. Mountains near Croatia are part of the Dinaric Alps, characterized by rugged terrain and steep limestone formations, which play a significant role in the region's geography and climate.

    4. Carpathians: Spanning across Central and Eastern Europe, this mountain range is known for its diverse ecosystems and rich biodiversity, influencing the local climate and culture.

      1. Culturally important: Frankenstein, Dracula.

    5. Alps: Located in southern Europe, the Alps are famed for their stunning peaks, glacial valleys, and as a major destination for tourism and winter sports.

      1. Flat areas present, allowing for travel. Valley bottoms.

  • Pyrenees and Alps are northwest, east. They serve as a climatic barrier, influencing weather patterns across Europe and creating diverse ecosystems that support a wide variety of flora and fauna.

European Climate

  • North Atlantic Drift - Gulf Stream: Rather warm, bringing milder temperatures to northwest Europe, which contributes to a more temperate climate overall and helps moderate the harshness of winter.

  • Westerlies (Jet Stream): A powerful wind current that flows from west to east across the continent, significantly affecting weather systems and contributing to precipitation patterns found in various regions.

Climate Types

  1. Humid Oceanic - Marine West Coast (London)

    1. Not much difference in temperature between summer and winter, with mild temperatures year-round due to maritime.

  2. Subtropical Dry Summer - Mediterranean (Naples)

    1. Long, hot dry summers and mild wet winters.

  3. Humid Continental (Prague)

    1. Randomly fluctuating temperatures and significant seasonal variations in precipitation lead to diverse climatic conditions throughout the year.

  4. Highland (Zermatt)

    1. Climate exhibits:

European Human Geography

  • What is Europe?

  • Where is Europe?

  • What Does it Mean to be European?

Characteristics of Modern Europe

  1. Well Educated

  2. Healthy - Socialized Medicine

    1. High Taxes

    2. Waiting lists.

    3. Easy access to medicine, a lot easier preventive care.

    4. Americans afraid of healthcare due to $$$

  3. Stabilized Population Growth

  4. Wealthy

  5. Urbanized

  6. Industrial — Post Industrial

  7. Modern-Dense Transportation Network

    1. CHEAP travel, it helps economically by making commuting more accessible for a larger population, thus supporting urban growth and development.

  8. Freely Elected Governments

Maastricht Treaty (1992)

  • Promotes single currency (Eurodollar). 16/27 states.

  • Promotes European citizenship and right to work anywhere and live in EU.

  • Promotes common policies on foreign affairs, security and defense. —> Has not worked well.

Russia and the Post-Soviet States

Region

  • No satisfactory name for the region of Russia; Held together by USSR period from 1917 to 1991.

  • A huge sparsely populated region - 11 times.

  • Soviet Union has ben replaced by Russia and 14 independent Post-Soviet states. None fully democratic.

  • West of Ural Mountains is European Russia.

  • Five ‘stans’ - Caucasus region that is mostly Muslim.

    • Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan (Kiji-stan)

Physiographic Regions

  • Ural Mountains - Dividing line between European Russia and Siberia.

  • Caucasus Mountains - Peaks connect the Black Sea and Caspian Sea. Border between Europe and Asia.

  • Siberian Plain and Siberian Plateau: Largest plain in the world (grain production).

  • Taiga: Cold adapted coniferous forest.

  • Tundra - Far North (treeless— where only mosses, lichens, permafrost)

  • Pacific Mountain Zone: Multiple ranges in eastern ¼ of Russia - Russian Far East.

  • USSR viewed nature as a servant to agricultural and industrial progress. A lot of significant environmental degradation.

    • Chernobyl (1986), and loss of Aral Sea.

Climate Zones

  • Cool Continental Humid Climates - Dominant climate type (spanning ¾ of the region).

  • Temperate midlatitude climate: Tiny portion in the extreme Northwest / European Russia (77% of Russians live here)

  • Desert and Steppe: In southern tier. Indian ocean moisture blocked by huge mountains to the south.

Vulnerability to Climate Change

  • Russia’s forests act as a major carbon sink

  • Central Asia - Desert and Steppe zones especially vulnerable to draught.

  • Oil and Natural gas is a large portion of economic growth, with the EU buying most of it.

Religion

  • 75% of Russians claim adherence to Russian Orthodox Church.

  • 41% Orthodox region wide.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

  • 1/3 of Eastern Ukraine is ethnically Russian, which has significant implications for the ongoing tensions and conflicts in the region.

  • Couple of regions in southern middle Ukraine is Russian speaking.

  • Russians believe European Union was trying to undermine their influence in the region, by expanding NATO and ties towards the East.